[1994-07-17-WCW-Bash at the Beach] Steve Austin vs Ricky Steamboat

[Loss]

Talk about it here.

[Loss]

Not one of their best matches. There's a lot of down time and the match doesn't really have a clear focus until the last 10 minutes or so. It gets good then, but the first half of this is disappointing. They worked hard and did some good stuff, but it just didn't come together for me. Austin purposely trying to get DQd multiple times in the final stretch is the best part of this.

 

This match also teaches the lesson: You want to fire up a WCW crowd? Do a series of tombstone reversals! It works every time.

[Kevin Ridge]

Austin has “Dragon Slayer” on his tights. Not just a guy with black tights and boots. With these guys involved I was expecting something really good. They lose me during the middle of the match as it’s okay but nothing too exciting. Austin tries getting disqualified when he throws Steamboat over the top rope. Ricky hangs on to the top rope which I like with him being the challenger for title and avoiding the DQ win. Austin ends up stealing the victory with his feet on the ropes.

[Exposer]

The first half of this was not very good. It had no direction and there were a couple of severe botched spots. The second half was much better and delivered quite well. Austin did a cool variation of a camel clutch and the near falls were good. Overall, this was a pretty good match and maybe even very good but the first half was disappointing.

[soup23]

Weird structure in the beginning. Austin trying to get himself DQ'd at the end would be nice if I felt he was in severe danger but Steamboat feels like more of a finese wrestler so as a result, the finish doesn't work too well for me. Good match but given the time and signiture spot they were given on this PPV , I was hoping for more.

[El-P]

I don't know what match you were all watching, really. I thought this was excellent, slow build to an exciting finish match. The "Dragon Slayer" tights are glorious. Austin was already looking like the next Flair.

[goodhelmet]

I am with EL-P on this one. I thought this built to an excellent match. There was some down time with the arm work but I am patient. Loved nearly the entire match. I'll post the complete Matt D analysis after the P2B podcast on Thursday.

[Superstar Sleeze]

Where is that Matt D analysis?

WCW US Heavyweight Champion "Stunning" Steve Austin vs Ricky Steamboat - WCW Bash At The Beach '94

Watched this on the WWE Network. While the quality was stellar, things were a bit touch and go throughout. They have not gotten it yet. However, Network problems be damned all the way from July 1994, "Dragon Slayer" Steve Austin and Ricky Steamboat still manage to kick ass . If they were somehow able to keep up the pace they cutting at the beginning, they could have had a match for the ages, but they went for too much too soon. They blew each up after the hot criss cross sequence that ended with a Steamboat sleeper and this resulted in an extended lull in the match. I loved how Austin immediately went for the knee and the Dragon knew he needed to fight fire with fire before he was fucked all the while selling the knee. Not every shot to the knee will immediately cripple you. Austin was bumping huge for Steamboat and somehow as his strategy blew up in his face he went to the trick knee. I really think Austin wrestled a really good internally consistent match. He went from jumping Steamboat from behind to the trick knee to the low blow to karate mockery to trying to throw him over the top rope to get DQd to pulling the ref in his way to putting his feet on the rope. I think I missed an eye poke in there. The whole match just reeked of scatter-brained heel desperation from Austin It was a truly incredible heel performance. It was like his motto was "If I cheat I can, If I cheat I can" The fact they blew themselves fucked up the rhythm so I can understand that issue with the match, but I think Austin's performance is the thread that ties everything together. These Steamboat matches are the first time I am really seeing a match being run through Austin and he really is exuding IT now. Steamboat gave his typically great selling performance, but I thought some of his stuff was a little off. I don't think the Pillman bump to the railing was well-placed as he immediately took over after it and I think he should have taken it to Austin more to justify Austin's chicanery. It was a tremendous finishing sequence and I can't decide if I like the barrage of nearfalls from March or Austin trying to get himself intentionally disqualified more. This one had a tombstone reversal sequence (even Linda Hogan popped for that!) and a well-built finish (Austin wins with his feet on the ropes). If I cheat I can, If I cheat I can and he did! ****

[PeteF3]

The closing stretch of this was GREAT, but I have to agree with those that the first half was not up to snuff for this to be a truly great match as a whole. Meandering with a dead and at times even hostile crowd. They do pull them back in, which is to their credit, and Austin repeatedly trying to get DQ'd was done masterfully. In particular tossing the referee in front as Steamboat tried to leap off the top, which was a great false finish. The character work also took over, especially from Austin who was just a supreme dick down the stretch--the mock karate pose, and having Steamboat wave "HI EVERYBODY!" as he had him choked and helpless over the ropes. Even the use of the ropes at the end was well done. Austin's giddy, jumping, running celebration upon stealing the victory is also great. A worthy addition to a fine show, thanks to the closing stretch, but I think these two have had better matches. Incidentally Bobby and Tony were really on top of things here--this was probably the Brain's best performance as a color man since coming to WCW, getting over the action in the ring with some really funny recurring lines about Austin's "trick knee" and his interpretation of the BS with the ref.

[cactus]

I'll always be a huge Steamboat fan, but one has to wonder if his style of wrestling was feeling outdated by 1994. Both this match and his match with Flair at Spring Stampede suffer from quiet crowds and you can even hear a few audience members heckle the wrestlers for boring them in both matches. The crowd might not of dug all of this, but I thought this was good, despite it's very slow pace. This is the best Austin in WCW performance I have seen so far. He goes after Steamboat's knee as soon as the bell rings and he constantly mugs off to the crowd and the camera. I love the spot where he forces Steamboat to wave to the camera. This is a more openly expressive Austin than the one I'm used to seeing in the WWF. He eventually steals the win after his constant attempts to get himself disqualify fail. 

★★★¼